There is no doubt that as a family you will need to spend a lot of time traveling and transporting your kids around, from play dates to soccer matches, from school activities to grandma’s house and back again.
There are some tips to ensure that you keep your kids safe when they are in the car. However, your kids also have responsibilities when it comes to staying safe in a car. So, try to explain to your kids the importance of being safe and what they should do when they are in the car.
Kids should ride in the back seat
The back seat is the safest place when a car crash occurs. Even though your vehicle equipped with a passenger airbag, which usually in the front seat, it won’t be useful for a small kid if there is any car crash because it designed to protect a person with bigger posture. So, it’s crucial for children under 12 years old to ride in the back seat.
Keep your very young child ride facing the rear
Younger kids need to ride facing the rear until they can move to convertible car seat, which is approximately at age two. A common misconception among people is that facing the back will risk causing leg injuries during a car crash because it will scrunch their legs up. However, the risk to get injuries are bigger when they are facing the front, because their body part will make contact with the seat or anything in front of them.
Use a booster seat when they grow
Don’t start to use a booster too soon, yet don’t stop using a booster too soon as well. Some parents let their kids use a booster seat too soon. Keep in mind the objective of a booster is to keep the seat belt properly fits on a kid’s body, so it will adequately be positioned on the kid’s lower hips or upper thigh during a car crash.
If your kid is younger than five years old or their weight is under 40 pounds, they are not allowed to sit on their own with a booster. They may still need to sit on a child seat. Also, keep your child using a booster until about 10-12 years old. At that age, the seat belt would fit the same without a seat booster as it does with it.
Everyone must be buckled up
If your child is tall enough or big enough to sit without slouching, they can sit on their own by wearing an adult seat belt. But it means their feet must be on the floor and knees bent at the corner of the seat. Make sure that your kid wearing a seat belt before the car start, and keep wearing a seat belt until the car stop moving and the engine is off. Not only your kids need to be bucked up, you as parents also have to wear a seat belt.
Center passenger seat is the safest spot in the car
Children who sit in the center seat will not take or face any direct hit during an event of an accident, which means less risk for them get hit on their head or any other body parts. If you have more than one kid in the car, remember to prioritize the younger one to sit in the center.
Check the expiry of your car seat
Not only the child seat has an expiry date, but also your car seat. Car seats are made of plastic which means it will get brittle with age. Different car uses a different quality material for their seat. They usually last six to eight years. However, you have to know when your car seat needs to be replaced with a new one.
Keep your children safe with those safety tips above and never forget to take additional precautions whenever you drive with your children.
